Ok.... I have about $200 free this month and another $200 for Jan. We (wife and I) have decided to use it to stock up on food reserves. We are a family of 5 (2 kids and a grandma) so food is high up on our list. We live in the city and might be moving to an apartment. I'm hoping to get a list of recommendations.... or additional info... if you want to get more detailed, please do..

Water in the form of bottles... long shelf life.multiple types of salt... (was reading the thread on salt )beans/rice/pastas....caned goods that go with the pastas/meals etc.vinegar for canning cooking pickling?herbs/condiments/spices?Meats... for the freezer.... (planing to buy a box freezer from sams club for like $150 for additional storage)Dry milk.... (about a year of shelf life)

Guess that is what I'm looking at for the moment....

I'm planning to set up a grocery list and go from there...Rotation will be a big focus... Oh and my food dehydrator came in the mail yesterday so I will be drying a lot of food...

Hopefully some of that stuff will provide you with a starting point & welcome to the boards.

***ETA***--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I meant to put this in the earlier post for you, but brain cells being disposable & all, I completely forgot. Sorry.

Several of us have used this resource as well. The reviews have been positive thus far. You don't get preached to, so no worries about that if religion isn't your thing & anyone of any socioeconomic background can use this. See if you have a distribution point near you & it's possible you could save mucho dinero on your grocery bill.

Joel

Since you're feeding a family, I suggest you not worry too much at this time about commonly-discussed "survivalist" storable foods - hard red wheat, lentils, and the like, but rather a larger supply of the more durable sorts of foodstuffs your family is already accustomed to eating. Store it up, date it, rotate it as you consume it, and work on increasing it steadily.

A big problem I have with the commercially-packaged "emergency" or "survival" supplies is what I'd call the "what the hell is this?" factor. IE, it consists in large part of material that most Americans don't even recognize as food. Not a big problem if you live alone and will take pleasure in learning new ways of preparing and eating food, but a HUGE problem when children, or adults not so enthusiastic about the project, are involved. These other foodstuffs are of course in many ways more practical for long-term, large-scale storage, but require retraining of palates and habits that should be done over time. Otherwise those large quantities of unfamiliar foodstuffs can become an additional problem rather than a solution in a situation where TS has HTF.

Look for a "Cash & Carry" type of discount grocery store in your area. They have different names but basically have bulk things (like 50 lb. bags of beans for $35). A gallon carton of name-brand mashed potatoes (makes gallons of pre-buttered mashers--yum) for $9.

Look in the Yellow Pages for "Grocery Stores" and you should find one if there's one in your area.

You'll be amazed at what they have and it's the cheapest you'll find anywhere. Also, since it's a grocery store just with big packages, you'll find things that kids will actually eat. For example, if your kids insist on Skippy Creamy peanut butter, the Cash & Carry will have tubs of it for cheap.

I totally agree with what Joel says above: no need to get weird food your family won't eat. I try to have food they'll eat for the first phase with weird food for a second phase. By the time we go through months of limited food, lentils won't look so bad. But with a Cash & Carry, there may not be a need to get weird food.

Of course there's always Costco or Sam's Club. But their selection is way, way less than a Cash & Carry. Costco/Sams has beans and rice but isn't a full-on grocery store.

For what it's worth, my first trip to a Cash & Carry I only took a note book and a tape measure, but no money. I got a feel for what was there, took notes, and wrote down the dimensions of the various items. I put food in 44 gallon garbage cans (http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=887.0 ) so I need to see what fits. If you have a normal pantry or basement kind of storage, you may not need to take down the dimensions.

P.S. There's lots of preppers in a Cash & Carry (and small restaurant owners getting supplies). No one looked at me twice as I measured boxes of pasta. Try that in a regular grocery store!

You can stock up on as much of the basics (flour, salt, water, et cetera) as you like, but if you don't actually eat them, then what's the point? When you need that extra food you don't want to have to figure out how to cook it and find out you hate it. As your survival mentality builds and you move lower on the food-preparation chain (flour, salt, yeast and water to make bread as opposed to store bought loaves. Leftover chicken to make and can stock instead of buying it canned) then you can get further into the "weird" foods.

We started out with a few extra cases of Chef Boyardee, soups, canned beans, canned rice, tuna pouches, stock, veggies, and pasta. It was a good place to start and built the supplies up with only a few dollars a week.

As time has gone on we cook more at home so are used to dried beans, making pasta from scratch, and baking fresh bread every few days. Now we buy a few extra bags of beans and bags of flour each week which really extends our table. For easy recipes with basic food combinations to keep you healthy, check out Diet for a Small Planet, Recipes for a Small Planet, and Laurel's Kitchen. They are vegetarian cookbooks that can keep you eating well on the most basic of foods for a long time. Add a nice roast, a can of tuna, some grilled chicken, and it rounds out very well.

You can also use those cookbooks to help you decide what to grow in your window boxes based on what you eat.

If you want a quick and easy bread recipe, to get your started baking, try this one:

Oh, and I hate #10 cans. With a wife, a teenager, and a baby, we just can't eat eanough dehydrated carrot chips or banana pudding before it starts to go wonky. I like #1(11oz), #2(20oz), and #2.5(29oz) cans. They are easier to stash under couches, chairs, and in between the studs of your walls.

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groovy mike

You should buy the shelf stable products that your family normally eats. When soup goes on sale, stock up at the discounted price. When pasta goes on sale - stock up at the discounted price. When peanut butter, bottled juice, or canned veggies go on sale - buy them at the discounted rate. Get the same food you normally use and stock up when the price is right. This will build your reserve rapidly far cheaper and in a far more useful way than buying expensive food that your kids won't eat. Once you have extra of everything just rotate it into use in a first in first out order so that nothing goes past its storage date.

I would also check out www.costco.com and do a search for survival. It will turn up a bucket of food that has 275 individual servings of stuff in a 5 gallon bucket. They are small servings and will probably not do a normal healthy adult for 275 servings, but it is cheap, stores easily and is passable for food.

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Joel

I would also check out www.costco.com and do a search for survival. It will turn up a bucket of food that has 275 individual servings of stuff in a 5 gallon bucket. They are small servings and will probably not do a normal healthy adult for 275 servings, but it is cheap, stores easily and is passable for food.

I've seen those buckets'o'stuff at Costco, but know nothing about them except the claims on the bucket. Are they really worth having?

I would also check out www.costco.com and do a search for survival. It will turn up a bucket of food that has 275 individual servings of stuff in a 5 gallon bucket. They are small servings and will probably not do a normal healthy adult for 275 servings, but it is cheap, stores easily and is passable for food.

I've seen those buckets'o'stuff at Costco, but know nothing about them except the claims on the bucket. Are they really worth having?

Here is a link to the PDF containing the nutritional information for the bucket.

From looking at that information, one of these buckets would last a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 smaller children) a week, but you would be consuming WAY more sodium than you need. If you have access to plenty of water to flush your system, that wouldn't be a problem. In a survival situation however, I wouldn't want to depend on that.

I'd nix buying bottled water and wash/reuse milk jugs and fill with water. That way you don't have to "pay" for it and use the savings there for food.

I don't know about your milk jugs, but ours are photo-degradable and start breaking down once exposed to sunlight. We tried using our own milk jugs but found they would randomly spring a leak. The longest we got out of one was 3 months and finally gave up on them after walking through too many puddles in our pantry.

If you are looking for long term water storage that is man-portable, should you need to evac to a vehicle, I recommend the Reliance Aqua Tainer Water jug.

There are apparently two types however so it is best to look at them in person. Some have screw down vent holes, others just use a plastic plug that is prone to leaking. The ones from Bass Pro have the screw down vent. You can also find them at various online retailers and I have heard they are carried in the sporting goods section of some Wal-marts.

Spartan is correct, milk jug deteriorate over time. I have had milk jugs filled with water "break" when picked up by the handle when stored for any length of time. I have a buddy that stores water in 2 liter coke bottles that seem to last forever, personally I prefer using the big blue barrels that dairies get filled with syrup for making ice cream. They hold about 50 gallons, are heavy duty and best of all they are free. I have quite a few that are almost 20 years old and kept in my barn that still hold water just fine. I have no plans for bugging out so the size doesn't hamper me in any way and I fill them up when I think there may be a problem. The last time I did this was just before the US invasion of Iraq as a "just in case" measure. I have smaller 5 gallon water containers that I use for camping (the ones with faucets/spigots on them) that I have for years and they work just fine. One is a Coleman, the other is made by a company I can not recall. I also fill them up when there is going to be a freeze in case we lose water. The advantage of the large barrel ls is that I can attach them to the downspouts of my gutter system with a piece of "bendable" downspout you can get at Home Depot. I use rainwater for my trees and plants during the summer to help them out and in a pinch, rainwater is easier to clean up for drinking if necessary or "as is" for flushing.

I am not much on storing water. I keep a couple of cases of bottled water for an emergency but that's it. Stored tap water gets "stale" and never tastes right. I feel that for most emergencies there will be enough lead time to fill up my storage containers. It's a gamble I know but one I am willing to take. Also when any potential problem passes, I use the water in the barrels on the plants so nothing is wasted.

If you plan on bugging out, get a good tough water container, remember it will be bumping around in the back of yer BOV and the last thing you need is a leak.

If you plan on bugging out, get a good tough water container, remember it will be bumping around in the back of yer BOV and the last thing you need is a leak.

An additional way to handle the water issue is to get purification tablets so you can turn most kinds of water into drinkable water. Or you can get iodine in a bottle at a drug store. (You should get some info on the proper mixture for iodine; I don't pretend to know it off the top of my head; it's in a book I have somewhere).

Tablets or iodine aren't a 100% solution, but they're relatively cheap and they don't take up any weight or space. Of course, you still need containers for your water. Have some ready-to-drink bottles with you for short-term and then maybe some water purification tablets and containers for medium term.

Some people have survival water filters. They are kind of expensive and I don't know anything about how well they work. Your question is what to do with $200 per month. I'm thinking water containers (especially collapsible ones) and a few bottles of purification tablets and iodine should take care of many of your water issues. Tap water should be OK in just about everything except a flood.

P.S. If you have purification tablets or iodine, don't forget to get drink mix (preferably sugared) to take the semi-yucky taste out of the water.

Be sure to find out if anyone in your family is allergic to iodine first. The tablets are often safer because of the allergy issue. That way you can be sure and give water to friends without worrying about it. It works in a pinch though, as does actual bleach. Learn the amount per gallon so you're doing it right. In fact, treat a gallon of tap water, mix it, let it sit and then try some. That way, you'll know what to expect. =-]

Great points Heavy and Dan. I should have mentioned iodine and filters but I get distracted easily. I will add that in the past I used iodine tablets and assumed they worked well (as I never got sick). However I hated the taste so much that I went and bought a filter instead that I have used on almost every camping trip I take. There are some new pills out that are not iodine based (new being relative) but never have tried. I think they are called "Polar Pure" or something like that. I have seen then, just never tried them.

You guys mention the bad taste of the pills. I've experienced it (lost in the woods, murky pond water, but had sugared drink mix so it worked out). Not to turn this thread into a water purification thread, but rather to finish this loop on the water purification part of a $200 per month prepping plan, I add this:

There seems to be a solution to the after taste issue. There are two-stage water purification tablets out there that have one pill for treating the water and the second for neutralizing the taste. I've seen them at most outdoor stores. Here's a link to one of the two-stage pills: http://www.mountainsports.com/msmain.asp?Option=Detail&Detail=043771 They're pretty cheap.

I have a couple of packs of these two-stage pills in my preps. I also have the one-stage (they're half as much and I have sugared drink mix).

I would start with the basics since you are on a limited budget (aren't we all?). Buy stuff that could keep your family alive - not happy but alive. For me, that would be rice, flour and oats, probably in that order.

One can exist on a rice diet for quite some time. Yes, I read how it isn't possible but I have seen peasants in China who really do live off the stuff.

I bought buckets and bags from beprepared.com, and oxygen absorbers from Sorbent Systems.

Oxygen absorbers will cost $17.60 for 50, three are needed per bucket.A 6 gallon bucket with lid runs $8.95A mylar bag will set you back about $2.50

So, for a single bucket, lid, oxy absorbers and mylar bag, I paid $12.50 plus shipping. You can likely do better if you shop around but I was lazy.

Then, head to Costco or your favorite store and buy one or two bags of rice and flour. If you have extra money, consider baking soda/powder, a gallon or two of oil, pasta, etc.

From there, you can add luxury but at least you have a survivable supply of food. Since the food is so cheap (rice, oats, flour) and store perfectly for decades, I don't worry about rotating it unless it is convenient for me. The oil and other stuff gets rotated.

I'm a very practical person that has 6 in the family to feed. 3 adult/3 kids. You not only have 200.00 extra but you also have your monthly groceries.All the stuff you buy is edible all the time.You'll need 2 5-gallon buckets with lids. *Walmart 6.00 ea25 lb flour25 lbs rice total cost for rice and flour 21.00You store the rice and flour in the bucketsNext stop ALDI's Canned Vegetables 53 cents ea I buy by the case you can mix and match to your taste Ravioli / 69 cents a can (Kids love this and it's a source of protein as well as carbs)Kraft Mac / cheese I buy at Sam's 6.25 for 12 boxes. Don't waste money on water...Save your milk bottles, drink bottles, and fill partially and freeze. you won't need any kind of iodine or clorox just thaw and drink. If it's a storm we have 1 kid who's job it is to fill the tubs with water. (in case the electricity goes out so we can flush the toilets) Crackers, soups, potted meat, vienna sausages, salmon, tuna, Peanut butter, What ever you can get. I plan my meals. That way I know what I can do with what I have... Canned Chicken, Chicken Broth, Make dumplins with the flour... Chicken & Dumplins. you'll find the more carbs the happier the kids will be. Also keep some chocolate, or sweets on hand for them to have some of in an emergency.

If you can buy extra of what you eat any way that will help you out. We cook alot more now from scratch and not buy convience foods. One more thing... Buy an old fashion canopener because most forget and have no way to open the cans.Hope this hellps.

Thank you guys... really great stuff.... Now that I got the wife involved... We are doing basics... 2 cases per car (2 cars) and 4 cases in the storage shed of bottled water. We keep them this way and will work on additional.

Rice, beans, pasta.... Major staple's that we eat. We have cut down on percentage of the weekly diet because wife and mom-in-law is diabetic... But none the less, we use it/them. all we do is keep about 25 lbs of each, extra, on hand and with FIFO, nothing spoils. Specially beans and rice. Mom was telling me about keeping over a years supply of beans from the harvest to last till the next season with out spoilage... basic sacks on top of boxes, tables etc. to keep them dry an away from the critters. In a humid area like EL SALVADOR! So, we are good. I will increase it when I'm done with stocking up on the rest of the diets requirements.

Salt, oil, spices....

Salt, we have got a bout 8 of them containers that go for like a dollar... I think I should probably seal some? cardboard packaging .Oil... well, I know we should work on that but one thing though.... we do buy them 3 gal jugs at a time that last for ever.... Guess we should keep one extra and rotate...

cans... we are still working on the usage... been busy but with the "cansolidator" It will be easier... still working on that...

Now, as for a med kit... I'm working on that...

I've also got about 15 mato plants.... I plan to dry most at harvest to see how that goes... will get some practice as too how much tomato powder will make 12 oz of sauce....

Other than that... so far so good... been really trying to pay off debt... but I'm trying to decide if to at least get a five-seven or a mini-14 on credit... cuzz I feel a great deal of urgency to have something to deter anyone taking away from us if you know what I mean... but that's probably for another thread.

Other than that... so far so good... been really trying to pay off debt... but I'm trying to decide if to at least get a five-seven or a mini-14 on credit... cuzz I feel a great deal of urgency to have something to deter anyone taking away from us if you know what I mean... but that's probably for another thread.

Awesome preps. You're lucky to have the wife on board.

This is a food thread so I don't want to hijack it, but I wanted to mention something about the gun. (Moderators: feel free to move this.) If you need basic home protection then a used shotgun (12 gauge preferably) is perfect and cheap. 20 gauge would be OK if you got a deal. I'm betting you could get a basic used shotgun for $100 at a pawn shop or gun show. $250 for a new one. A case of (250 rounds) of cheap shot shells is $55 at Sportmans Warehouse. For another $50, you could get 30-50 rounds of 00 buckshot shells (nine .35 caliber balls in each round, flying out at the same time--that's a party).

Your food preps are centered on building up the basics--rice and beans, etc. Well, a 12 gauge is the rice and beans of home defense.

I'm a libertarian so the last thing I want to do is meddle in your life. But I wanted to bring up the beans-and-rice practicality of a used shotgun.